Sturgis motorcycle rally ready to roll despite Delta variant surge

The Sturgis Motorcycle Rally rumbles into South Dakota on Friday, with the gathering expected to draw as many as 700,000 visitors. Yet even as some states and cities around the U.S. reverse course in reopening amid a fearsome spike in COVID-19 cases linked to the so-called Delta variant, local business owners around Sturgis are revved up for an annual tradition that has become a mammoth tourism event.

"I think it's great we're getting so many tourists. Seeing all the new faces and their wanting us to tell them about other local businesses to go to is super cool," said Taylor Whittle, owner of Sweet Secrets Bakery, located in Rapid City, South Dakota, about 20 minutes away from Sturgis.  In fact, Whittle is less concerned about the virus than she is her internet speed, which she said has slowed given the sheer volume of people using bandwidth as the 10-day motorcycle rally gets ready to roll. "We're definitely noticing our internet is not working because of all the people in town."